Danish Movie Reviews

Related Subjects: Language_and_Linguistics
Family movie reviews for "Danish" sorted by average review score:
The Standard Deviants - Habla Espanol? (Learning Spanish)
Released in DVD by Cerebellum Corp. (26 June, 2001)
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
The first hint that this isn't your normal, staid Spanish review course is the subtitle that's flashed across the screen: the "Salsa-riffic World of Spanish." The Standard Deviants, a cast of ebullient young performers who believe no joke is too bad as long as its memorable, bring their talents to a course in introductory Spanish in this video. Lots of flashy graphics keep things lively, but the course material itself is rock solid--it's been approved by an academic panel. Following some basic information on where Spanish is spoken, the real lessons begin with instruction on pronunciation and the Spanish alphabet (which, of course, uses some typographical symbols not used in English). A bit of vocabulary is imparted as the pronunciation lessons progress, and after some pointers on capitalization, simple lessons in practical conversation begin. The video proceeds to the inescapable bane of many language students, conjugating verbs. While this production won't be a substitute for an actual course in Spanish (and the cast specifically points out that it doesn't intend to be), the presentation is consistently energetic, with the lessons easy to remember. Someone who is interested in learning (or reviewing) basic material will no doubt gain from watching it. --Robert J. McNamara
Average review score:

This may not work in your DVD player...
I have a one year old Zenith 5 disc DVD player and it doesn't work for me.

Spanish-Sesame Street Style
I have taken college Spanish and tried to teach myself off and on, but have been unsuccessful. So since I was working graveyards and could view this on the DVD player on my laptop, I decided to give it a try.

Sock puppets, and insulting words that make for good jokes were the first vocabulary introduced. Loco, stupido, etc. Fast moving colors and lots of different people relaying information kept it entertaining.

By looking at the outline it didn't look like it covered much, but I would say that it covered in it's two hours what a student would be expected to learn in a week on a college campus.

I didn't know everything like I thought I might, so it will be useful to me. But the tests on the DVD don't seem to work half the time. It would show question one...then the answer and then the voice would say question two but wouldn't become visible until I hit the next button and then it would give me the answer as well. (could be a problem with my computer, but don't know)

I think it is a good purchase to stimulate former knowledge and a great introduction if you are looking to start the language.

I rated it four cause I would have liked to see more without having to buy another DVD...and I struggled with the tests working.

Thanks Standard Deviants, you are the only game in town for education on DVD's. I will be replaying this until I have it down. Good Job!

Very helpful
This video is a great extra for leaning those tricky verbs, not to mention "las muy bellas!"

The Standard Deviants - Spanish, Part 1
Released in DVD by Cerebellum Corp. (17 August, 1999)
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
The first hint that this isn't your normal, staid Spanish review course is the subtitle that's flashed across the screen: the "Salsa-riffic World of Spanish." The Standard Deviants, a cast of ebullient young performers who believe no joke is too bad as long as its memorable, bring their talents to a course in introductory Spanish in this video. Lots of flashy graphics keep things lively, but the course material itself is rock solid--it's been approved by an academic panel. Following some basic information on where Spanish is spoken, the real lessons begin with instruction on pronunciation and the Spanish alphabet (which, of course, uses some typographical symbols not used in English). A bit of vocabulary is imparted as the pronunciation lessons progress, and after some pointers on capitalization, simple lessons in practical conversation begin. The video proceeds to the inescapable bane of many language students, conjugating verbs. While this production won't be a substitute for an actual course in Spanish (and the cast specifically points out that it doesn't intend to be), the presentation is consistently energetic, with the lessons easy to remember. Someone who is interested in learning (or reviewing) basic material will no doubt gain from watching it. --Robert J. McNamara
Average review score:

This may not work in your DVD player...
I have a one year old Zenith 5 disc DVD player and it doesn't work for me.

Spanish-Sesame Street Style
I have taken college Spanish and tried to teach myself off and on, but have been unsuccessful. So since I was working graveyards and could view this on the DVD player on my laptop, I decided to give it a try.

Sock puppets, and insulting words that make for good jokes were the first vocabulary introduced. Loco, stupido, etc. Fast moving colors and lots of different people relaying information kept it entertaining.

By looking at the outline it didn't look like it covered much, but I would say that it covered in it's two hours what a student would be expected to learn in a week on a college campus.

I didn't know everything like I thought I might, so it will be useful to me. But the tests on the DVD don't seem to work half the time. It would show question one...then the answer and then the voice would say question two but wouldn't become visible until I hit the next button and then it would give me the answer as well. (could be a problem with my computer, but don't know)

I think it is a good purchase to stimulate former knowledge and a great introduction if you are looking to start the language.

I rated it four cause I would have liked to see more without having to buy another DVD...and I struggled with the tests working.

Thanks Standard Deviants, you are the only game in town for education on DVD's. I will be replaying this until I have it down. Good Job!

Very helpful
This video is a great extra for leaning those tricky verbs, not to mention "las muy bellas!"

The Standard Deviants - Spanish 1 & 2
Released in DVD by Cerebellum Corp. (11 July, 2000)
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
The 2-disc set The Standard Deviants - Spanish Parts 1 & 2 contains:

The Standard Deviants - Spanish, Part 1
The first hint that this isn't your normal, staid Spanish review course is the subtitle that's flashed across the screen: the "Salsa-riffic World of Spanish." The Standard Deviants, a cast of ebullient young performers who believe no joke is too bad as long as its memorable, bring their talents to a course in introductory Spanish in this video. Lots of flashy graphics keep things lively, but the course material itself is rock solid--it's been approved by an academic panel. Following some basic information on where Spanish is spoken, the real lessons begin with instruction on pronunciation and the Spanish alphabet (which, of course, uses some typographical symbols not used in English). A bit of vocabulary is imparted as the pronunciation lessons progress, and after some pointers on capitalization, simple lessons in practical conversation begin. The video proceeds to the inescapable bane of many language students, conjugating verbs. While this production won't be a substitute for an actual course in Spanish (and the cast specifically points out that it doesn't intend to be), the presentation is consistently energetic, with the lessons easy to remember. Someone who is interested in learning (or reviewing) basic material will no doubt gain from watching it. --Robert J. McNamara

The Standard Deviants - Spanish, Part 2
In the opening jingle, the oddball lyrics "Careful or you're speaking Spanglish, then your grade will cause you anguish" provide a glimpse into the premise of this production from the Standard Deviants. In this, their second trip to the "Salsa-riffic World of Spanish," the energetic young cast performs skits and unleashes some clever and elaborate computer graphics while providing a reliable review course in the Spanish language. Starting with what's billed as "Really Basic Stuff," the cast reviews practical matters such as how to count, talks about what time it is, and discusses the weather. Moving into more advanced material, there are pointers on grammar, with a focus on the rules of particular verbs. It should be noted that the curriculum has been approved by a panel of professors, but the cast members tend to present the material in a relaxed format, which often involves the use of costumes and some bad (and hopefully memorable) jokes. Each major portion of the program is followed by a quiz, which the student can either take or skip, and the entire DVD concludes with an exam titled "La Tormenta." This DVD isn't a substitute for classes in Spanish, but as review material the unorthodox presentation would be helpful to a student. --Robert J. McNamara

Average review score:

Bad instruction
The DVD could be a great medium to teach spanish basics, but this is just plain silly. Even as a beginner, I spotted mistakes like in incorrectly accenting "esta". Who knows how they chose the vocabulary -- some words are presented that you really wouldn't ever use. They start to teach ser and estar, and then go into why it's OK to leave out the subject pronouns. Aside from my specific gripes, it's all too silly, aiming for a 4th or 5th grade slapsick level. DVD is 99% english (and even most of that is unneeded and a waste of time) and 1% spanish. Perhaps people would enjoy the silly images, but I'm sure that there's no spanish language teaching here.

Breath of fresh air
I was struggling with Spanish, but these DVD's rock. They really slowed it down for me, and it was useful hearing other English speakers and Spanish speakers do it at the same time. Besides, the video parts are really funny. It's like Saturday Night Live decided to teach Spanish.

Phenomenal stuff
If you need to learn spanish and have no clue what you are doing, these Standard Deviants shows are for you. The Standard Deviants are made up of a group of young, fun guys and gals who explain the ins and outs of spanish. I was particularly pleased with the sections on the alphabet, ser and estar. I am following this up with a purchase of the advanced box set, but disappointed to see they dont make that on DVD.

The Standard Deviants - Learn Advanced Spanish - Building on the Basics
Released in DVD by CEREBELLUM (01 February, 2001)
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Average review score:

Juvenile, not advanced!
The title is misleading. This really is not advanced Spanish. They spend the first quarter of the program reviewing basics (noun genders, adjective agreements, etc.) so that's wasted. By the time we reach the end, we're just learning about direct and indirect object pronouns. These are the things you learn in an Intro II Spanish course at the local community college. (The proof is in the syllabus of a course I took!)

Another gripe is the presentation. They use a kind of silly, juvenile format with embarrassingly bad, scripted comedy. It's like something you'd see on Saturday morning cartoons.

Last, of the six or so youngsters who deliver the course (they all seem to be about 19 years old), only one or two of them has a good (i.e., native) Spanish accent. The others all speak with that flat, nasal American sound that sounds so bad in Spanish! And one of the presenters made a bad grammatical faux-pas when he said, "No problema" which is a Bart Simpson-ism. It should be, "No hay problema".

Apart from the bad accents I would have no qualms with this DVD if they'd just labeled it correctly, for instance, "Spanish Reveiew for Kids".

I was very satisfied
While it's true that I wouldn't label the DVD "Advanced Spanish" I also wouldn't label it "Spanish Review for Kids." In fact, it is more like an intermediate Spanish review. While I already knew everything they teach, they still use some tips I wish I had heard when I was taking formal college courses. The visual element is compelling - far more useful for imparting and retaining information than audio tapes and textbooks alone. I bought the whole series, and I almost felt like I had gotten to know the actors personally. I hated it when the last DVD came to an end. Sure they speak with American accents - they're mostly Americans! It's not like they're unintelligible. By the time you get to the end of this DVD, you're speaking some pretty darned sophisticated Spanish. The interactive element is great - there are opportunities for self-testing and the DVD format offers chances to review sections much easier than with VCR tapes. I would like to see another DVD that covers past subjunctive, conditional, and the other perfect tenses that were left out of the series. Also, I'd like to see a discussion of por versus para and other tricky grammatical constructions. There's definitely room for at least one more DVD in the series. How about it Standard Deviants? Make it and it will sell.

Unbelievably easy to use
I desperately needed help with Spanish because of my job. I'm not a rocket scientist when it comes to picking up a new language and all of those audio tapes are so damn boring. These DVD's really work - they're fun and really useful. Besides, the Standard Deviants silly troupe is also filled with hotties. What a way to learn!

The Standard Deviants - Spanish, Part 2
Released in DVD by Cerebellum Corp. (04 July, 2000)
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
In the opening jingle, the oddball lyrics "Careful or you're speaking Spanglish, then your grade will cause you anguish" provide a glimpse into the premise of this production from the Standard Deviants. In this, their second trip to the "Salsa-riffic World of Spanish," the energetic young cast performs skits and unleashes some clever and elaborate computer graphics while providing a reliable review course in the Spanish language. Starting with what's billed as "Really Basic Stuff," the cast reviews practical matters such as how to count, talks about what time it is, and discusses the weather. Moving into more advanced material, there are pointers on grammar, with a focus on the rules of particular verbs. It should be noted that the curriculum has been approved by a panel of professors, but the cast members tend to present the material in a relaxed format, which often involves the use of costumes and some bad (and hopefully memorable) jokes. Each major portion of the program is followed by a quiz, which the student can either take or skip, and the entire DVD concludes with an exam titled "La Tormenta." This DVD isn't a substitute for classes in Spanish, but as review material the unorthodox presentation would be helpful to a student. --Robert J. McNamara
Average review score:

May not work in your DVD player...
I have a one year old Zenith 5 disc DVD player and it doesn't work for me.

Only for the basics.
I found the format of this DVD both distracting and not very effective. There seemed to be more animation than actual learning content. I did learn a few phrases but the DVD fails to combine words and phrases into valuable conversation topics. This DVD is best suited for children, not for adults who actually want to learn to speak Spanish.

Please make more of these.
Standard Deviants Spanish, Part 2 is a good way for a beginner to learn a little more vocab, learn the basics of verb conjugations, and some basic conversational Spanish. I feel that there was not very much information on the DVD; but I did gain a good understanding of everything they taught. These lessons are great and I plan to see many more.

The Standard Deviants - Learn Advanced Spanish - Verbs
Released in DVD by CEREBELLUM (18 June, 2002)
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Average review score:

Jvenile, not advanced!
The title is misleading. This really is not advanced Spanish. They spend the first quarter of the program reviewing basics (noun genders, adjective agreements, etc.) so that's wasted. By the time we reach the end, we're just learning about direct and indirect object pronouns. These are the things you learn in an Intro II Spanish course at the local community college. (The proof is in the syllabus of a course I took!)

Another gripe is the presentation. They use a kind of silly, juvenile format with embarrassingly bad, scripted comedy. It's like something you'd see on Saturday morning cartoons.

Last, of the six or so youngsters who deliver the course (they all seem to be about 19 years old), only one or two of them has a good (i.e., native) Spanish accent. The others all speak with that flat, nasal American sound that sounds so bad in Spanish! And one of the presenters made a bad grammatical faux-pas when he said, "No problema" which is a Bart Simpson-ism. It should be, "No hay problema".

Apart from the bad accents I would have no qualms with this DVD if they'd just labeled it correctly, for instance, "Spanish Reveiew for Kids".

May not work on your DVD player...
I have a one year old Zenith 5 disc DVD player and it doesn't work for me.

Advanced Spanish made child's play
What a fun way to learn spanish. I was really struggling with the verbs. While Standard Deviants stuff is not the serious way to approach a subject, it's much more effective in my book. It's refreshing compared to most of the other junk out there. I would say that if you are looking for something traditional, look elsewhere. But if you are looking for something different, look here.

The Standard Deviants - Habla Espanol? Beyond the Basics (Learn to Speak Spanish)
Released in DVD by Cerebellum Corp. (29 May, 2002)
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
In the opening jingle, the oddball lyrics "Careful or you're speaking Spanglish, then your grade will cause you anguish" provide a glimpse into the premise of this production from the Standard Deviants. In this, their second trip to the "Salsa-riffic World of Spanish," the energetic young cast performs skits and unleashes some clever and elaborate computer graphics while providing a reliable review course in the Spanish language. Starting with what's billed as "Really Basic Stuff," the cast reviews practical matters such as how to count, talks about what time it is, and discusses the weather. Moving into more advanced material, there are pointers on grammar, with a focus on the rules of particular verbs. It should be noted that the curriculum has been approved by a panel of professors, but the cast members tend to present the material in a relaxed format, which often involves the use of costumes and some bad (and hopefully memorable) jokes. Each major portion of the program is followed by a quiz, which the student can either take or skip, and the entire DVD concludes with an exam titled "La Tormenta." This DVD isn't a substitute for classes in Spanish, but as review material the unorthodox presentation would be helpful to a student. --Robert J. McNamara

Related Subjects: Language_and_Linguistics